Vice
(2014/Lionsgate Blu-ray)
Picture:
B+ Sound: B+ Extras: B Film: C-
What
if you could re-inact any crime in a controlled environment and not
get in trouble? Murder without jail time? Truly let all your demons
out. Would it prevent actual murder?
That
is the vision of Julian Michaels (Bruce Willis) in this lackluster
Sci-fi film. In the film, an exotic resort named Vice is full of
robots (or artificial inhabitants) that look exactly like humans and
are used so that scum of the earth can fulfill their murdering
fantasies without criminal backlash or remorse. Seems like a great
idea, right? [It's the same as Michael Crichton's 1973 hit
Westworld, reviewed on Blu-ray elsewhere n this site.]
Of
course, one of Vice's artificial robot (Ambyr Childers) becomes
self-aware, has flashbacks and escapes, caught in the crossfire
between Julian's mercenaries and a cop (Thomas Jane) who is hell-bent
on shutting down the corruption of Vice, and stopping the violence
once and for all. The film combines elements from many other stronger
films including [as noted] Westworld, it's sequel Futureworld,
A.I., Strange Days, and even Blade Runner with
strong sci-fi ideas but ultimately doesn't seem them through to make
an effective enough film.
Relying
on too many shoot out scenes and predictable moments, Vice
ended up being a complete critical wash, with the film barely earning
a 4% on Rotten Tomatoes. This is a prime example of an actor phoning
it in when it comes to performance and Willis is definitely doing
that here. It's really a shame that Thomas Jane isn't getting better
roles these days. All in all though, for some cool special effects
and some star power I found the film to be watchable but ultimately
not what it could have been.
Sound
and Picture on the disc, however, are top notch with a 1080p high
definition transfer with a widescreen aspect ratio of 2.40:1 and a
sharp English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track. There's also an
UltraViolet digital copy of the film included if you like watching
films on your tablet or smart phone.
Extras
include Commentary with the Director and Actors, Behind The Scenes,
Cast and Crew Interviews, and a Trailer Gallery.
-
James Harland Lockhart V
www.vimeo.com/jamielockhart
